


Lena & Amelie Hide Their Relationship

by NotAWerewolf42



Series: Mute Lena AU [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Lena is not very good at hiding things, Mute!Tracer, Post-Talon Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Secret Relationship, Sombra likes causing shit, Taking Care of Lena, getting caught
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-03-15 02:32:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13603701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAWerewolf42/pseuds/NotAWerewolf42
Summary: Moments from Lena's secret relationship with the former assassin known as Widowmaker. Will Overwatch figure it out? (Probably, Lena isn't very good at this)





	1. Lena fails to be inconspicuous

Angela Ziegler has been with Overwatch long enough to see a few things. Most everyone in the Gibraltar base has been in her office many times, for many reasons. So when she finds Lena  knocking on her office door, she is initially not surprised

“Ah, Lena, it is good to see you.” the doctor says with cheer.

“Hey Angela!” Lena quickly signed back, before hugging the doctor. The two were old friends from the old Overwatch days.

“What can I help you with?” Angela signs back.

“I was wondering if I could borrow some candles.” Lena replies.

This catches Angela by surprise: In all her time knowing Lena, she’s never been one for candles. Her room is constantly messy, and Angela had always suspected that the optimistic agent had lost her sense of smell from one too many orders of fish and chips.

“Candles?” Angela asks Lena. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing important.” Lena replies, the beginnings of a blush rising to her cheeks. “Just cleaning up my room finally.”

Though the doctor is suspicious, she thinks that the task might be a good distraction, and lends Lena some of her candles.

She’ll just have to ask the others what’s going on.

* * *

Hana Song rarely finds herself in the Overwatch kitchen. Most days she just orders in or eats nothing but junk food, a habit that Mercy has been trying to curb for months. Hana had done everything she could to get around the doctor’s wishes, but eventually Angela managed to force her to make a meal for once. As she makes her way, grumbling, into the kitchen, she’s greeted by Lena, and a mountain of food.

  
“Holy...” the Korean said under her breath. Lena was finishing making what had to be a ton of food.

“Lena, why’d you make so much food?”

A startled Lena quickly turns to face the younger girl. “Oh, hey Hana!” she signs with a smile.

“This is crazy! What is this, a four course meal?”

Hana notices embarrassment cross Lena’s face. “Oh, no, I’m just…” Lena starts, before Hana interrupts.

“This is enough food for at least two people!” the streamer exclaimed. At that, Lena seemed to panic for a second and then quickly shake her head before responding.  
  
“No, just little ole me! Just Lena!” the girl signs quickly. “Welp gotta go!” she finishes, before picking up two trays of food and rushing out into the mess hall. Hana watches as the Brit barely manages to avoid spilling the contents over Lucio, and promptly leaves the mess hall.

“That was odd.” Hana thinks to herself. “Lena always eats in the hall, never in her room.”

* * *

Winston was constantly fretting over something. The reformation of Overwatch, international incidents, figuring out how to hide his supply of peanut butter from the prying eyes of Doctor Ziegler. But more often than not recently, much of the scientist’s time was spent worrying about his best friend, Lena Oxton.

The two had supported each other throughout the years, especially when Lena had been torn from time and space. He wished he could have helped her when she lost her voice, but he had been busy trying to hide the incident from the authorities, as well as keeping an eye on Talon activities.

When he realizes at the end of the day that Lena had missed her check-up, Winston decided to ensure that his friend was well.

He strode through the residence halls, before stopping in front of Lena’s door.

“Lena?” Winston says, announcing his presence with a knock. In the quiet of the empty hallway, the scientist hears shuffling noises from behind the doorway. After that there is silence. Before the concerned gorilla can override the door controls, it slides away and reveals Lena standing at the threshold.

“Winston!” she signs. “What are you doing here?”

“You missed your check-up today. I wanted to make sure everything is alright with your chronal accelerator.” he responds.

“Oh!” Lena realizes. “I’m sorry big guy, I got distracted. Everything’s working just fine though!” As she finishes, she gives her friend an awkward thumbs up.

“That’s good.” Winston lets out a small sigh. “And it’s no problem at all Lena. You’ve had so much going on these past few weeks.”

Winston then notices the scene behind Lena: a candle lit room, with various flowers around. He thinks it’s an odd scene, but she’s seen him do weirder things so he decides not to ask about it. “Anyways, apologies for interrupting your night. Have a good night Lena!” he says with a smile, before turning and leaving. He doesn’t notice the flustered Lena behind him.

* * *

When the next day rolls around, Angela, Hana and Winston find themselves all seated at the same table in the mess hall, all putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

“So then she runs off, barely holding onto all this food, and vanishes out of the mess hall.” the Korean girl retells.

“Interesting...” the Swiss woman thinks aloud. “Her metabolism has always been high, but that seems like a new record for Lena.”

“I did not see any food in her room. Maybe she did eat it all?” the gorilla responds. Both of the women at the table glare at him. Winston was a great guy and a brilliant scientist, but he could be painfully oblivious.

“Anyways, I’d ask her what was going on, but she hasn’t woken up yet.” Angela starts. Right on cue, the three notice Lena walk into the mess hall. The girl had always been a runner, so the fact that she had seemingly only just woken up was strange. As well, she wasn’t in her running gear. In fact, the Overwatch agent was still wearing her pajamas, worn sweatpants and a loose  plain white t-shirt.

Lena walks over to the coffeemaker at the side of the room, yawning. Angela and Hana exchange looks. Lena pours a black coffee, then joins her friends at the table.

“Good morning Lena!” the doctor started. “Did you have a nice night?”

Lena finishes a long sip of her coffee, before setting it down to reply. “Yes.”

The table is quiet for a few moments, before Hana suddenly asks enthusiastically. “So who is she?”

Lena nearly spits out her coffee, and carefully swallows and responds with quick signing. “Who is who?”

“Who’s this girl you’re dating? We know that’s what you were doing last night.”  Hana continues, before smirking. “And maybe _who_ you were doing.”

Lena can barely respond. “Noone! I...noone! Just me!” she signs wildly. “I just remembered, I have to go!” she finishes, before suddenly getting up and speeding off, the rest of her coffee forgotten.

“We will find out! You cannot hide this mystery woman forever!” Hana yells at Lena’s retreating back, before sitting back down. Angela gives the younger woman a look. “There was no need for that Hana.”

“Come on, you want to know who it is too!” Hana huffed.

“But there was no need to embarrass her.” Angela chided.

Hana huffed, and turned back to her meal.

* * *

Amelie LaCroix, or perhaps Amelie Guillard, and more recently Widowmaker, was in Lena’s room. After her date with the Overwatch agent, she decided that she would stay the night, and was happy to wake up in the arms of the Brit. After Lena left to get coffee, Amelie began planning her escape from the cliff-side base. Though Lena trusted her, she was hardly a welcome visitor. Before she got the chance to leave however, she was surprised to find Lena returning.

“Lena?” the frenchwoman asks. “Back so soon?”

Lena takes a moment to breathe, catching her breath, before signing a response. “They know I went on a date last night.” she says. “They figured it out.”

Amelie chuckles, a laugh that Lena is glad to hear every time. “Ma lionne, you are a wonderful woman with many talents...”

Lena is both confused and happy for the compliment, until Amelie finishes. “...but perhaps leave the stealth to me.”

Lena is momentarily stunned, before giving her girlfriend a playful shove. “Rude!” she signs.

Widowmaker smiles. “In fact, I don’t think we should leave this room yet. Too suspicious.” Lena smiles back. “I agree. We’ll just have to stay in here together.”

When Lena finally leaves for food hours later, no one bothers her about her disappearance. But they all notice the smile she’s wearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -NotAWerewolf42, beta'd by nivalkenival


	2. Amelie regrets her existence, briefly

The balcony where Lena and Amelie first kissed was by far Amelie’s favourite place to be. The view of the sea, the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff face. And of course, the moment her life changed forever, when she understood exactly what she was feeling, and that Lena felt it too. So before heading into the base to visit her girlfriend, she spent some time admiring the sights and reflecting.

“Hey araña.” came a cocky and familiar voice from behind the former assassin. Amelie turns around slowly, resting her hands on her hips.

“What do you want, Sombra?”

Amelie watches as a shimmer of light on the balcony, unnoticeable to those not looking for it, fades into the form of Talon’s resident hacker. Sombra’s hand is raised to her mouth in mock offence. “What, can’t I just be visiting my good friend Widowmaker?”

“It’s ‘Amelie’.” the taller woman nearly spits. “Not ‘Widowmaker’. And no, you are not just visiting me. The only reason you visit friends is to get something out of them.”

“It’s not the only reason.” the purple-haired woman grinned unrepentantly. “But I do have something good for you.” Amelie raises an eyebrow, instantly on alert, suspicious of anything Sombra had to say.

“Talon has gone nuclear since you…” Sombra pauses, thinking of the right word to say. “...left. Maximillion thinks that this was part of a conspiracy, lead by our good friend Doomfist. Doomfist ‘has no need for these politics’, and just about ripped Max’s head clean off. And Gabe thinks the whole thing is stupid and wants me to find you.”

“And now that you have, what do you plan to tell dear Gabriel?” Amelie replied dryly.

“Well,” the hacker smirks, twirling her hair around her finger “probably that I couldn’t find any trace of you.”

Amelie sighs, already predicting Sombra’s next answer. “And what do you want to keep this information from Talon?”

“I gotta meet this girl.”

This was not the answer Amelie expected, clear by the confusion on her face. “You want to...meet Lena?”

“Yes!” Sombra squeals. “This girl is so good you bail on Talon and sneak into the organization that wants you imprisoned? I have got to meet her!”

Amelie considers this for a few moments. She wasn’t kidding when she said that Sombra was no one’s friend unless she thought she could gain something from them. And she had no desire to put Lena in harm’s way. But Sombra was offering to help protect her, and if Talon didn’t know where she was, then she only had one secret illegal organization to hide from.

“Very well. Un moment.” Amelie said suddenly, before sneaking into the base proper.

After a few minutes pass, Sombra watched as Amelie lead Lena out onto the balcony, hand in hand. Once they reached the bench where Sombra was waiting, they untwined their hands.

“Lena, this is Sombra. Sombra, Lena” Amelie spoke, as Lena signed hello.

“Ah here’s the lovely lady. How are you?” Sombra spoke. Lena signed out a reply, and Sombra looked to Amelie expectantly.

“What?” Amelie questioned after a moment.

“I don’t speak Sign language?” Sombra replied sarcastically. Amelie huffed.

“She said, confused, she doesn’t understand why you want to meet her.”

“I gotta make sure you’re good enough for my good friend Amelie.”   
  
“We are not friends.” Amelie deadpans. Lena signs again. “She’s asking why you work for Talon.”

Sombra smiled. “You could ask the same of your  amante here, no?”

Amelie opens her mouth, but Lena begins signing again. “She says, that she knows why I was in Talon.” Amelie translates. “But that you are there of your own volition. Why?” Sombra’s face turns serious, and for the first time that Amelie’s ever seen, she speaks with seriousness.

“Talon is a means to an end. I needed their resources, so I joined up. But I’m not a Talon agent.” Sombra returns to her regularly playful demeanor. “Besides, it means I can screw them up from the inside. Remember that mission in Russia, Amelie?”

“I always did think it strange that you could corner someone and still let them escape…” Amelie says. Lena gives her girlfriend a questioning look, and Amelie responds with a look that says ‘I’ll tell you later’. “Besides,” the former assassin continued, “Sombra is helping me hide from Talon. I would hesitate to call her a good person, but she’s not all bad.”

“Awww!” Sombra beamed. “That has got to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me, azul!”

Again Lena signed. “She is asking what azul means.” Amelie translates.

“It means blue, and it brings up an important question about Amelie here that only you can answer, Lena.” Sombra says seriously, and understands Lena’s next gesture: “Go on.”

She smirks. “So, do the carpets match the drapes?”

* * *

After Sombra leaves, her apparent need for inappropriate answers sated, Amelie and Lena make their way back into Gibraltar base. They had decided to meet again tonight due to the majority of Overwatch members having left the base on a mission. It saddened Lena that she couldn’t go, and she suspected that Winston wasn’t planning on putting her back on active duty anytime soon, but the chance to not have to sneak around quite as often was a blessing.

As they approached a junction in the hallway, Lena stopped, and let her hand slip from her girlfriend’s.

  
“Mon amour?” Amelie questioned.

“I was thinking.” Lena began signing. “If I got to meet one of your, friends…” the word gestured with uncertainty, “...then I think I should introduce you to one of mine!”

“Lena…” Amelie began, unsure. “...are you certain that would be a good idea. I am still an enemy of Overwatch.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable love. Hell, Sombra’s already done a good job of that. But these people are my friends, and I’m sure they’ll warm up to you eventually.” Lena stops for a moment, then quickly stands on her toes to give Amelie a peck on the cheek. “I mean, I was shooting at you too, and now look at us!”

Amelie smiled warmly. “Indeed. Perhaps you should have shot at more girls, you may have been more lucky.” Lena closes her eyes and directs a raspberry at Amelie. “But if you trust them, then so shall I.”

“Great!” Lena signs, perking up. “And I know just the one!”

* * *

Lena was not surprised to find Angela’s office door wide open. She was also not surprised to find the light still on. The doctor had a tendency to work late into the night. She stepped through the doorway and knocked on the door frame.

“Lena!” Angela exclaimed. “It is good to see you! What can I do for you.” The doctor smirked. “Do you need more candles?”

Lena mentally made a note to be less obvious when planning a secret date. “No, thanks Angie. But I do want to introduce you to someone!”

Angela stood up and took a step towards the door, curiously. “Really? And who might this be?”

Lena braced herself. “Just don’t freak out.” Before Angela could reply, Lena grabbed Amelie’s hand and pulled her from her position just outside the office. Angela took one look, then her face turned to an expression that was somewhere between fear, confusion and disappointment.

“Bonjour. I am Amelie.”

Angela stares shell shocked for what seemed like an eternity, before pinching the bridge of her nose. “You are going out with Widowmaker?” she said, exasperation dripping from her voice.

“She isn’t  _ Widowmaker! _ ” Lena defends hotly. “At least, not anymore. She was the one who radioed in my position after I got shot. She saved my life!”

Angela raises an eyebrow at that, perplexed, and opened her eyes to look into Amelie’s golden irises. “Why?”

“Because, despite all our fighting, I found myself falling for her.” Lena smiled wide as Amelie said this.

“This,” Angela sighed defeatedly, “is dangerous Lena.”

“She’s changed though!” Lena gestured.

“Indeed. Talon broke me, warped my mind and turned me into a killer.” Amelie said, blankly. “But it was not permanent. The longer it went the more control I felt. And Lena helped put a dent in their work, inadvertently.”

“Interesting,” Angela stated. “But that is not the only thing I meant. I also mean that if this gets out, if Winston hears about this, or Jack, then there will be hell to pay, for both of you.”

“I know.” Lena pouted. “I just wish they would give Amelie a chance to prove herself.”

No one spoke for a moment, and Angela released a deep sigh. Amelie spoke up, abruptly. “I should leave.” and with that, the former assassin quickly turns away. Swiftly, Angela grabs Amelie’s arm and speaks with purpose. “Oh no you don’t!” Amelie stops unexpectedly, and turns back confused.

“I’ve known Lena for years, she is one of my closest friends, I have to make sure you are good enough for her.” Angela stated, matter-of-factly.

“Quoi?!”

“If Lena is taking these risks for you, hiding the truth from her friends, then you better be treating her well!”

Lena looks to her girlfriend, a smug look on her face, while Amelie looks back, her features still marred with confusion. She watches her girlfriend, trying to understand, before looking up to see Angela sitting back in her chair, gesturing to the seats at the side of her desk. Lena grabs her hand and pulls her over, and Amelie sits down.

“So, tell me, when did you first figure out you liked our little Lena?” Angela began, leaning forward, and Amelie prepares herself for another interview.

* * *

After an hour of talking to the couple, Angela was confident that Amelie wouldn’t hurt Lena, and understood to some degree why their relationship existed, she releases the two from her grasp, none so subtly telling Lena to ‘be safe’. Aware of the time, and the fact that she was not going to be completing anymore work that night, Angela turned off the lights in her office, slid the doors closed, and made her way to her room.

Opening the door, Angela was not to surprised to find someone already in her room, and in fact already in her bed.

“Welcome home habibi.” Fareeha says fondly, rolling over to face the doctor. “You were working extra late tonight, what was keeping you?”

Angela smiles. “Had a bit of a late night distraction. Lena came in for a meeting unexpectedly.”

“Oh?” questions Fareeha.

“I’m sworn to secrecy of course...” Angela states, noticing a bit of disappointment cross her lover’s face. “...but I will say this. When we decide to go public with this…” gesturing between the two of them. “...we will not have the strangest relationship in this building.”

Fareeha giggles, waving her off. “Don’t say that, now I’m going to be trying to figure it out all night!”

Angela laughs with her, before stripping off her lab coat and work wear, before crawling into the soft, loving arms of her Egyptian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nivalkenival
> 
> Araña (Spanish) - Spider  
> Un moment (French) - One moment  
> Amante (Spanish) - Lover  
> Mon amour (French) - My love  
> Quoi? (French) - What?  
> Habibi (Arabic) - My love/ my dear


	3. Lena takes her girlfriend to London

Amelie was comfortable. More comfortable than she could remember being in a very long time. She was resting in Lena’s bed, the Brit held tightly in her arms. They had chosen to sleep in late this morning, and Amelie was content to spend the rest of the day here. But when Lena freed herself to be able to sign, she knew her girlfriend had a thought running through her head.

“Know what I just realized?” Lena signs, to which Amelie gently shakes her head. “You haven’t ever seen my apartment!”

“You have an apartment? I thought you lived here?” Amelie replies in Sign.

“No!” Lena silently giggles. “I mean, I do live here, but I have an apartment in London. From before the recall.”

Amelie contemplates this for a moment. “Well perhaps we could visit sometime.”

“Why not today?”

Amelie is taken back by Lena’s enthusiasm. Try as she might, the Frenchwoman does not expect to ever truly get used to it. “Today? What about Overwatch?”

“I don’t expect Winston plans to put me back into active duty.” Lena signs, a hint of sadness apparent in her movements. “And while I still want to help make the world a better place, he’s probably right.” Amelie comforts her, rubbing circles on the shorter woman’s back.

“Chérie, I’m sure you will make the world better. After all, you have made my world better.”

Lena smiles warmly, and gently presses a kiss to Amelie’s lips, then pulls away. “But anyways, it means that we could go to London today! I’d get to show you all my favourite places, and we wouldn’t need to sneak around!”

Amelie considers this for a few moments, and smiles. “Well, when you put it like that…” she says, before returning the kiss that Lena gave her, deepening it.

“Is that a yes?” Lena signs, once she stops to breathe. Amelie nods her head, and draws Lena closer again, running a hand through her short hair.

An hour passes before the two get out of bed.

* * *

As Lena had guessed, convincing Winston to let her free for a vacation was fairly easy. Her friend worried that Lena would be lonely in London, but she assured him she would be fine. Lena only tells Angela the truth that Amelie would be coming along, and the doctor wishes the two of them a good trip.

By late afternoon, Amelie and Lena arrive in London. Lena orders a cab, and Amelie watches as Lena points out areas and tells Amelie about her childhood.

“Oh, that's where my first foster parents lived!”

“That’s where I kissed a girl for the first time!”

“That is a great chip shop!” Lena signs, and as if on cue, her stomach rumbles. Amelie laughs. “Perhaps we should visit after dropping off the luggage?” Lena nods.

Once they arrive at Lena’s building, Lena pays the driver and Amelie grabs the pair’s luggage. Looking up at the apartment block, Amelie is struck by the notion that Lena is not nearly as well off as she is. The building wasn’t terrible, but it was in a rough part of London, quite some distance from the expensive homes of King’s Row. Rubbish littered the dingy streets, and Amelie noted that some of the buildings surrounding them were abandoned, painted with gang signs.

Certainly no Chateau Guillard, in fact almost the opposite.

The taxi leaves, and Lena tries to take her suitcase from Amelie, however Amelie carries the pair’s luggage, despite Lena’s insistence, up the stairs to the apartment.

Once the door is open, Amelie is again reminded of Lena’s financial situation. They enter into the main room, with a small living area with a couch, television and a pair of bookshelves. Off to the right side is the combined kitchen and dining room, and there are two doors in the whole interior, which Lena introduces as the bathroom and bedroom. There are a couple lamps, but currently the large window looking out onto the street is providing light from the sunset.

“It’s not much, but it’s home!” Lena signs, standing in the middle of the room.

“It’s lovely chérie.” Amelie replies genuinely, although she thinks that the place could certainly use a cleaning. There are clothes hanging of the couch and chairs, and the whole apartment was covered in a thin layer of dust. Amelie wonders how long it’s been since Lena has been home to clean it.

Amidst her thoughts, Amelie hears her own stomach rumble, and is reminded that she hadn’t eaten lunch yet. “Perhaps we should visit that, er, chip shop, you mentioned.” Lena nods, and leads Amelie out, leaving the pair’s luggage beside the couch

* * *

The two walk through London hand-in-hand, Amelie silently admiring the scenery. London, at least the parts where Lena took her, was far from the painting-like beauty of France, but it had its own charm. Each building had a history hundreds of years old, and Big Ben sounding seven in the distance added to the experience. But they would have time to explore later, for now, the pair could barely wait for food. Arriving at the chip shop, the two queued up, and Lena explained her order to Amelie so that the French woman could order for both of them.

The two hadn’t even completed their order before they are alerted to a voice from behind.

“Lena!”

They turn, and Amelie sees a red-headed woman she does not recognize. Lena, however, seems to, opening her arms wide as the woman runs up and hugs her.

“It’s so good to see you! How are you doing?” the woman asks after they break apart from their hug. Lena gestures at her throat, though the woman doesn’t seem to understand. “What, your throat hurt or something?”

Lena faces Amelie, who already knows what she must do. “I’m afraid Lena has lost her voice. She cannot speak.”

“Wait, like, permanently?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh my god, what happened?!” the red-head directs to Lena, who signs something at Amelie. “It’s a long story, perhaps we might sit together and explain it.”

After all three get their orders and sit at one of the shops few tables, Lena begins recounting the story through Amelie. She leaves out some parts, such as Amelie being a wanted assassin and her sneaking into the base, though Amelie notes that Lena seems to trust the woman enough to tell her that she was fighting in Overwatch. Or perhaps her girlfriend forgets that Overwatch is technically illegal. She’s good at this whole ‘stealth’ thing.

“Shit, I can’t believe that.” the red-head says, after Lena finishes the story. The Overwatch agent nods solemnly, before smiling bright, picking up a chip and feeding it to her companion, who smiles warmly and accepts it. The red-headed woman watches this interaction and grins. “So you never told me, who are you?”

“Ah, sorry. My name is Amelie, I am Lena’s...” Amelie begins, searching for the right word to use. “...girlfriend.” She extends her hand in greeting.

The woman thinks for a moment, before suddenly bursting into laughter. Both Lena and Amelie look at her, then each-other, and then back to her, both utterly confused. The woman’s laughs fade, and she speaks through the chuckles. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry….”

She then extends her hand and shakes Amelie’s. “My name is _Emily_ ,” putting emphasis on her name. “And I am Lena’s ex-girlfriend. We went out a couple years ago.” She then draws her hand back, and looks to Lena. “I didn’t realize women named Emily was a type.” she smirks.

Lena blushes, and shoves an enormous portion of fish in her mouth, trying to avoid eye contact. Emily begins laughing again, and this time Amelie chuckles along with her. Lena tries not to, but silently laughs with them.

* * *

After a long time catching up, Emily leaves, wishing Lena and Amelie well. The two leave the shop arm in arm, and walk through the London streets. It’s night now, and the nightlife of London is waking up. The two come across a nightclub, music pounding through the walls, and Lena excitedly pulls Amelie inside.

Amelie has never been a fan of clubs. The music is too loud, the lights are too bright and the people too close. But she lets herself be pulled in, knowing that Lena enjoys them, and watching Lena dance happily is good enough for her. It’s fairly early on a Wednesday night as well, so the club is not entirely full.

Amelie begins by just watching Lena dance to the beat. It’s clear the younger woman knows nothing about dancing, rapidly shifting styles and wildly pumping her fists, but she is enjoying it, and Amelie quickly finds her enthusiasm infectious. It’s not long before Amelie joins her, shaking her hips and letting the music flow through her body.

“Woah, what is that.”

A voice, that of a young male, sounds behind Amelie. At first, she pays it no mind, but when a finger taps her shoulder, she turns around.

“Yo, did you have a dip in blue paint or did you freeze outside with that outfit on, love? Come on over here, I can warm you up.”

Three boys, teenagers, are looking over Amelie appreciatively. Amelie doesn’t respond, not fully comprehending what is happening in front of her.

“Oi, you deaf? That a disease or something?”

Amelie still does not respond, her still-new emotions unsure how to deal with the situation. She freezes up, but suddenly feels herself being pulled down. Before she can fight her assailant, her lips meet softness, and her mouth opens, tongue reaching out and tasting Lena’s, who has pulled her girlfriend into a deep kiss directly in front of the teenagers, flipping them off as she dips Amelie. Her eyes close on instinct, and all other sensations around her fade away, replaced by Lena.

When Amelie opens her eyes, she looks deeply into Lena’s. The shorter woman stands back, and begins signing to her.

“You alright?”

“I’m… fine. Thank you.”

“You want to go home?”

“Yes please.

Lena nods, and grabs Amelie's hand, leading the taller woman out.

She doesn’t see what became of the teenagers, but Amelie no longer cares, focusing entirely on her girlfriend.

* * *

The two order a taxi back to the apartment, and it is spent in silence. Amelie grips Lena’s hand like it’s a lifeline, and Lena leads her back into the apartment, over to her couch where the tall woman sits.

Lena silently decides to put on a movie, pulls a favourite of hers off the bookshelf, and puts it on before leaning into Amelie on the couch, pulling a blanket over them.

“I know this film.” Amelie states as the film opens. Lena looks to her, silently supporting her and not forcing her.

“La belle et le bête. Beauty and the Beast. I watched it as a child.”

Lena had been slowly pushing Amelie to try and remember her life from before Talon. Slowly, memories had come back. Small things like food she remembered eating or songs she remembered hearing. And sometimes, rarely,  big things. Amelie had told Lena about Gérard, how they had met and fallen in love. She remembered his death clearly, already having been made into the Widowmaker. But she had cried on Lena’s shoulder as she connected her memories of the man to his death at her hands.

Lena watches Amelie watch the film, her girlfriend occasionally piping in, remembering some line or another.

The first song comes on, and Lena is suddenly pulled back to reality.

_Little town, it’s a quiet village. Everyday, like the one before._

Lena opens her mouth and realizes that she is not singing, because she cannot sing. Lena had forgotten, lost in thought about Amelie. But she cannot sing. Her childhood was spent singing songs from Disney.

_Little town, full of little people. Waking up to say..._

Tears build up in Lena’s eyes, and before she knows it she is crying, her staggered breathing the only sound that can be heard from her. Amelie suddenly is pulled from her thoughts, and quickly moves to comfort Lena. She wraps her arms around the smaller body, rubbing circles and reassuring her that she is okay.

_Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!_

Hearing the lyrics in the background, Amelie is struck with an idea, one that soothed Lena when she first learned of the loss of her voice.

_“Le boulanger porte son plateau bien garni,”_

Lena hears an angel’s voice, her lover singing the song in her stead.

_“Du bon vieux pain de son fournil!”_

Amelie sings the song, memories coming back from her childhood. It’s not perfect: it has been too long since she has heard, she doesn’t remember it perfectly. But based on Lena’s more regular breathing, she thinks that it’s good enough.

The song ends, and Lena remains in Amelie’s arms for a moment longer, before pulling back and looking into her eyes. She moves her hands, with purpose but without even realizing it.

“I love you”

Amelie watches Lena, and is astonished. They wait there a moment, watching each other, before Amelie speaks.

“Et je t’aime, Lena.”

Lena doesn’t speak much French, mostly knowing the phrases Amelie has used. But she understands this one.

They fall into each other’s arms again, holding each other as tightly as possible.

They spend the the rest of the night like this, falling asleep on the couch, Lena resting her head on Amelie’s shoulder, Amelie on Lena’s head. There’s nowhere in the world they’d rather be, than in the arms of their lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nivalkenival
> 
> Happy Valentine’s! If anyone has any ideas for this AU you'd like to see, leave them in the comments!
> 
> Et je t’aime (French) - And I love you  
> Lyrics to Little Town (French) - Lyrics to Little Town


	4. Amelie takes care of her girlfriend

After a week in London, Lena is itching to go back to Gibraltar. The freedom to walk around, her girlfriend on her arm, is great for the Brit, but she wishes to return to her friends. Amelie is saddened that they must return to secret meetings at night, sneaking around like lovestruck teenagers, but she understands that Lena is a social creature. They agree to spend one more day in London, and then fly back.

Amelie quickly realizes that their plans might be delayed, once she awakes to find Lena not in their bed. Amelie looks around, and then hears a horrid noise from the bathroom. Amelie jumps out of bed in alarm, before realizing that the noise is Lena hurling into the toilet.

Pushing open the bathroom door, Amelie is greeted by the sight of the younger woman sitting on the tile floor, her head nearly in the bowl. Amelie kneels down, and starts rubbing circles into Lena’s back.

“What happened chérie? Are you ill?”

Lena struggles to face her, and her hands jitter as she signs. “It’s no big deal. Probably just ate something dodgy.”

Amelie is no doctor, but she knows that from Lena’s shake and pale face that “dodgy food” is not a likely cause.

“We have both eaten the same food for the last week Lena. You probably have a bug.”

Before Lena can respond, Amelie presses her hand to the Overwatch agent’s forehead. “As I thought, fever.” Amelie takes her hand back, and reaches for the nearby tissues. She grabs a few, and wipes Lena’s face clean, reminding herself to wash her hands. “You need to stay in bed. I will call Doctor Ziegler.”

Lena moves to respond, but Amelie is quicker. “No buts, get to bed.” she says seriously. Lena relents, and, with the taller woman’s help, gets up from the floor and makes her way to bed.

When Amelie calls Angela, the doctor’s voice is initially a mix of concern and confusion. “Hello? Lena?”

“Of course.” Amelie thinks to herself. “Lena can’t make phone calls.”

“Hello Doctor Ziegler. It’s Amelie.”   


“Ah!” Angela says, relieved. “I should have expected as much. How are you? Are you two still expecting to be back tomorrow?”   


“As it happens, plans may have to change. When I woke up this morning, Lena was in the bathroom, vomiting. She also seems to have a fever, so I sent her to lie down in bed. I believe she has a bug.”

“Oh, poor Lena.” the doctor replies. “Has there been any nausea, cramps?”

“She did not say, though she did not appear to be in much pain, mostly discomfort.”

“That’s good, just a minor bug. All the same, you were right to put her in bed. She’ll need lots of fluids and rest to get better. Once she’s feeling better, start her with some bland foods. Bread, yogurt, vegetable and such.”

“I may have to go out then. There is not much food left.”

“If you do, try to find some drinks with electrolytes. Sports drinks are not great, but they will do the job.”

Amelie is glad that the one friend of Lena’s who knew of their relationship is a doctor. Especially one as knowledgeable as Angela. “Thank you Doctor Ziegler.”

“It’s no problem Amelie. And please, call me Angela.”

Amelie jerks slightly, shocked at the doctor's trust being given so freely, before smiling softly. “Thank you, Angela”

* * *

After getting a glass of water for Lena and telling the girl of her plans, Amelie makes her way to the nearest general store. The two had visited it earlier in the week, so the former assassin finds her way there with relative ease. She finds some bread, small packets of yogurt, as well as the sports drink, and gets in line at the counter. She’s not there two seconds before the worst sound her ears had ever encountered come from behind her.

“Cheers love, the cavalry’s here.”

Turning around, Amelie comes face to face with the devil itself. More accurately, she finds Sombra, looking smug as always, wearing the most horrendous outfit Amelie has ever seen on a human being. She is wearing trousers covered entirely in Union Jacks. She has a pair of shutter shades also adorned with the flag, and a top that reads “I (heart) UK”, the heart also in the flags colours. Atop her head is a top hat with “London” written around it in large letters.

Amelie can do nothing but stare incredulously, her mouth agape.

“What do you think? Looking good I say.” the Mexican disaster says doing a little twirl to give Amelie the full horrifying picture.

Amelie finally closes her mouth, and her expression shifts back to its normal look of quiet disdain. “What on earth is that?”

“Found all this at some tourist shops around town. I figure, I need to have the tackiest outfit in Europe.”

Amelie is about to congratulate her on accomplishing her stupid goal before a question comes to mind. “Wait, what are you even doing here anyways?”

“Figured out you two were in London and came to check on you.”

“There is certainly an easier way of contacting me than stalking me and my girlfriend on our vacation.”   
  


“Where’s the fun in that!” Sombra laments. “So, how are you? Everything going good with speedy. Having lots of  _ fuuun. _ ” she says, dragging out the last word.

Amelie sighs. “If you must know, Lena has come down with a stomach bug, and I am here picking up some stuff to make her feel better.”

Sombra “Oh that’s too bad azul. Burnt toast and apple vinegar, my abuela swears by it.”

Amelie winces at the thought. “Thank you Sombra, but I believe I will stick to the advice of Doctor Ziegler.”

“Ziegler? The Overwatch doctor? ‘Heroes never die’?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  


“You came out to Overwatch and didn't tell me!?” Sombra says, looking personally offended.

“One, no, Lena introduced me to the doctor but the rest of Overwatch is still in the dark. Two, I did not tell you, because apparently the only method of communication between us is you stalking me.”

Sombra opens her mouth to defend herself, but quickly realizes that Amelie is right. “Alright, you got me there. I’ll see about getting you a burner phone. But still, Angela Ziegler! What’s she like in real life?”

“She was kind, considering the circumstances.”

Amelie reaches the front of the queue, and pays for the items. The woman behind the counter gives the blue woman an odd look, but rings Amelie through regardless. The two exit the store, and stand in front of the the threshold a moment.

“I suppose I should let you get back to your  amante . But seriously, I hope you’re having a nice vacation.” Sombra says genuinely.

Amelie thinks back over the week. The former assassin has enjoyed her time immensely, but nothing could beat the first night together in London. “I have. I got to spend it with the one who holds my heart.”

“Ohohoho!” the Mexican cackles. “Get back to her you lovebird!” She gives Amelie a shove, and the taller woman walks away. She’s not sure why, but she turns slightly and gives the shorter woman a wave. “Perhaps she is not so bad.” she thinks.

The outfit is still hideous though.

* * *

When Amelie returns to the apartment, her girlfriend is right where she left her.

“How are you feeling ma lionne?”

“Better.” Lena signs back. “I’m so hungry though.”

Living with Lena for a week taught Amelie one thing: Lena is an unstoppable force of nature when hungry. For a girl of her size with her figure, she could eat enough to feed most of Overwatch.

“Well, I got you some light food. Try not to eat it all and upset your stomach further.” Amelie responds, passing some yogurt to the younger woman. “And drink some of this.” She says, handing over the sport drink.

“I ran into Sombra on my way.” Amelie begins, Lena listening but too distracted by her hunger to respond. “Apparently she decided that the best way to contact me was to stalk us to England. She was surprisingly nice, if inappropriate” Amelie doesn’t notice the smile on Lena’s face, happy that the taller woman had some kind of friend.

“She looked like an absolute disaster though. I think the Union Jack itself threw up on her.”

Lena sputters, nearly spitting yogurt, and bursts into silent laughter.

Amelie smiled at her girlfriends antics and they continued talking long into the night.

When the next morning dawned, Lena has recovered enough to fly and not infect the rest of the populace The two lovebirds then return to Gibraltar together, a promise to return between them, and the memories of London forever etched in their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some writer’s block writing this chapter, which is why it’s taken longer than the rest. I hope you like it, and if you have any ideas you’d like to see in this universe, let me know in the comments!
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nivalkenival
> 
> Abuela (Spanish) - grandmother


	5. Amelie oversteps her bounds

After another night spent intertwined with her lover, Amelie awakens to find that Lena is no longer in bed with her, but quietly picking up items of clothing from different piles around the room. She watches as the shorter woman throws various tops behind her before seemingly settling on a white button-up blouse, which she quickly pulls on.

“Good morning, mon chérie.”

Lena turns and smiles, giving her girlfriend a wave, before returning to her search. Amelie is confused, having never seen the woman spend so much time considering her outfit, especially considering the state of her room.

“Is everything alright Lena? Are you looking for something?”

Lena stands up, having found a pair of slacks from within a pile of her pants. “We’re going out today, so I’m trying to find something nice to wear.”

Amelie raises an eyebrow. “We are?”

Lena nods, pulling the pants on. “Remember? I told you we should do something special for our 6 month anniversary.”

Amelie things back to the night prior, and remembers having a conversation about it, in between snuggles and gentle declarations of love. “I do remember, though you did not mention going out anywhere. Where will we go?

“Just into town. There’s this place I’ve wanted to visit for months, Angela says the food is great.”

“And you are not afraid we might be caught, being so close to the base?”

“Don’t worry about that love!” Lena signs dismissively. “Most of the team spends all their time in the base anyway, and I talked to Angela, so she’ll let us know if anyone leaves!” she finishes, lifting her cell phone from its position atop one of Lena’s seemingly unused dressers.

Amelie smiles. “Well, you thought this one through, ma lionne.”

“Anything for you love!” Lena smiles, and plants a kiss on Amelie’s forehead. The former assassin closes her eyes a moment, before climbing out of bed and searching through the dresser that she has been using to store her few possessions.

She pretends not to notice Lena watching her dress, smirking as she pulls on her undergarments.

* * *

Meeting at a restaurant on Gibraltar’s west side, Lena and Amelie walk arm in arm to their table, lead by the hostess. Sitting down, Amelie is amazed. The restaurant is intricately decorated, with several huge glass windows overlooking the sea, paintings adorning the walls, and a grand piano set atop a small stage in the corner.

“This is certainly a fine restaurant you have chosen chėrie. I was half-expecting another of your chip shops.”

Lena grins. “It’s our anniversary, I told you we had to do something special!”

“But of course, this beauty is nothing compared to your radiance, ma lionne.”

Lena’s cheek turn bright red, and she cannot help but smile wide. Amelie grins, watching her flustered girlfriend. Then she looks down over the menu, Lena following suit, as they discuss their choices for dinner.

“Can I get you ladies anything?” comes the voice of the waitress, a tall woman with long brown hair.

“Yes, I will have the pork rosto, and my girlfriend will have the fideos al horno. Just water to drink, s’il vous plait.”

The waitress nods and takes the menus, but Amelie notices Lena’s smile fade slightly once she is away.

“Is that not what you wanted? I could call her back…” Amelie starts, but is interrupted by Lena shaking her head.

“No it’s fine.” She doesn’t elaborate, and Amelie tilts her head, curious and suspicious, but decides not to push. The conversation is quickly changed to a new topic, and the two converse for the rest of the evening in peace.

They agree that the food is delectable.

* * *

After dinner, Lena and Amelie decide to go for ice cream at a nearby store. Entering arm in arm, the two are greeted by a bell ringing as they open the door, and a quaint but welcoming parlour.

They are greeted by the young man behind the counter, to whom Amelie give a courteous nod, as Lena escapes her girlfriend’s grasp to marvel at the flavours available. Amelie is happy watching her antics, and her excitement over the sugary treat.

“What can I get for you?” the man behind the counter directs to Lena.

Amelie looks to Lena, and notices the flavour she is staring at. “She’ll have the mint chocolate. I believe I shall have the....” she orders, looking to the flavours available herself. “...chocolate fudge. Thank you.”

The man nods, then begins scooping two cones for the girls. Amelie looks back from the ice cream, and finds that Lena is looking distinctly annoyed.

“I can order myself.” Lena signs, a hint of frustration in her motions. “You don’t need to do everything for me.”

Amelie is confused. “I know, I just thought…” she starts, but is interrupted by Lena.

“I can do things on my own, I’m not useless!” Lena signs, anger now apparent.

“Of course not, I just wanted to help.” Amelie says, raising her hands placatingly. The man behind the counter clears his throat, causing the girls to turn to where he is holding both of their cones. Lena takes hers with surplus force, and moves to the register, dropping some money on the counter and then heading for the door. Amelie quickly follows her, forgetting her own cone. The man tries to alert the taller woman, but Amelie is too distracted, speeding after Lena as she leaves the parlour.

Outside, Amelie reaches for Lena’s shoulder, and is dejected when she shakes her off. “What is wrong, chérie?”

Lena moves her hands, but realizes that the ice cream prevents her from signing. Amelie offers her hand, and Lena pauses a moment, before trusting her treat to the former assassin.

“I just, need some time alone.”

Amelie, disheartened, nods and hands her girlfriend back her ice cream. Despite her own sadness, Amelie knows that pressing further would only make the situation worse. “Will you be at the base then?” she says, to which Lena responds with a nod. Amelie nods in return. “Very well.” she says, before returning to the parlour. Lena turns away, and begins the walk back to Overwatch.

* * *

After retrieving her ice cream cone from the server, Amelie leaves the parlour, and walks around the west side of Gibraltar until she finds a small cafe, still open despite the late hour. She sits out at one of the patio tables, and quickly gives her order when the server comes around.

She finishes her ice cream, all the time considering Lena’s words. “I just wanted to help, why doesn’t she get that.” When her coffee arrives, Amelie decides to call the only person she knows who could possible help.

True to her word, Sombra had left a phone for Amelie to use. She kept only two numbers on it: Sombra’s, which the woman had put on the phone herself, and Lena’s.

“Ayyy, araña! What’s up girl?” the hacker loudly cheers. “You _never_ call me!”

“I…” Amelie starts, suddenly unsure of how helpful Sombra might be. But she considers how friendly she has been in the past few months since her escape from Talon. “...Lena is mad at me, and I do not understand.”

“Ooo, girl trouble!” Sombra chortles. “Alright, tell me everything.”

So Amelie does, recounting the evening’s events with near-perfect recollection

“I just don’t understand, I tried to help her, and now she is angry.” she finishes.

Amelie hears Sombra murmur to herself a moment, before she speaks, her usual playfulness left behind.

“Amelie, how would you feel if Lena had spoke in your place. If she had spoken for you before you had a chance to respond”

She thinks on this a minute. “I suppose I would feel...as though I were disregarded.”

“Precisely araña, you didn’t give her a chance to act for herself. Would you have done the same thing if she could speak?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“I hear you azul, you just wanted to help. But Lena probably feels like you’re pitying her.”

“I see.”

“Now, you are going to run back to your amante, you’re going to tell her that you’re sorry, and you are going to respect her boundaries.”

Amelie smile for the first time since the parlour. “Thank you Sombra.”

“And then you two are going make-up and make-out.”

“Must you always be so obscene?” Amelie says, still smiling but pressing her hand to her forehead.

“What else could I be?” the hacker laughed.

* * *

Arriving at Angela’s office, Lena knocks on the doctor’s door. After a moment, and a muffled “Be right there!” from behind the door, Lena is greeted with the sight of Dr. Ziegler.

“Ah Lena, good to…” Angela starts, but stops as Lena brushes past her, and she watches as the younger woman sits herself down in the chair beside the doctor’s desk. “What’s wrong Lena?” Angela says, following Lena’s lead and sitting down at her desk.

“Am I, useless?” Lena signs, slowly.

It’s then that Angela notices Lena’s tear-stricken eyes. “Of course not! What could possibly give you that idea dear?”

“It’s just, during my date with Amelie, she kept talking for me, and she said she was helping but is that because she pities me? Do you pity me?”

“No! Nobody pities you Lena!” Angela says, putting her hands on Lena’s shoulders, and looking at her face as Lena looks away. “Lena, Amelie shouldn’t have spoken for you, you are capable of these things. But I know that she does not pity you. What is it that she calls you? _Lionne_?”

Lena nods her head, and a slight smile crosses her face as she turns to face the doctor. “Amelie knows you are strong, and I know you are strong. She should have asked you before stepping in, but I’m sure she meant only to help.”

The words comfort Lena, and she begins to realize that Amelie hadn’t meant to demean her. “Thanks Angela.” she manages with a sniffle. Angela gives the woman a hug, and Lena returns it happily. “I’m going to go talk to her now.” She signs, getting up from her chair as Angela does the same.

At that moment, another person entered the office. “Angie?” Fareeha asks cheerfully as she enters the door. “Are you, oh.” she says, her cheer quickly turning to embarrassment.

Lena looks and forth between the two, and she smirks. “I’ll leave you two alone.” she expressed, before slipping past Fareeha out into the hall.

“Do you think she knows?” Fareeha asks, to which Angela laughs, and pulls her girlfriend close to her to give the woman a kiss on the cheek, further reddening her face.

* * *

Inside of Lena’s room awaits Amelie, and as soon as the younger woman opens the door, Amelie stands up from her position on the bed. Noticing her, Lena quickly closes the door behind herself.

“I’m sorry Lena. I should not have overstepped. I did not mean to disregard your feelings.” Amelie says sincerely.

Lena grins earnestly. “I’m sorry too.” she gestures, watching Amelie face turn to a slight confusion. “I know you only meant well. And I know you don’t think that I’m useless.”

The two lovers cross the room to meet each other in an embrace. “I’m sorry.” Amelie repeats. “I love you ma lionne.” Lena holds her as tight as she can.

* * *

Giggling to himself, Winston walked down the hall towards his best friend’s room. He had discovered something he had found so humourous, that despite the late hour, he thought it worth it to show his best friend, Lena, what he had found. “She’ll love this.” he thought.

Arriving at Lena’s door, Winston knocked, but didn’t wait for answer before opening the door himself.

“Lena, look at this! There’s this cat, and it wants a cheeseburger, isn’t that…” he says, petering out as he looks up to find Lena in bed, a sheet pulled up to cover herself. More importantly, he finds Widowmaker, the assassin, in bed with his best friend, the same sheet used to cover up her naked form. No one speaks for what feels like eternity.

“I’ll, uh, just, go now.” Winston speaks awkwardly, slowing backing towards the door, and closing it once he is outside the room.

From within, Amelie and Lena look to each other, and Amelie says what they are both thinking.

“Merde”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This fic continues in two different directions. For the original ending, go to https://archiveofourown.org/works/14528295. For the new content, continue reading.
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nivalkenival
> 
> S’il vous plait (French) - please  
> Merde (French) - shit


	6. Lena attempts to defend her girlfriend

The moment after Winston finds the pair, Lena and Amélie quickly rush to pull on clothes. Once the two had dressed, they found their way back onto the bed, where they pulled each other into a tight hug.

The silence that had so often been the happy norm for the couple became a deafening reminder of what would likely await them once the news spread around.

“What might happen  _ chérie _ ?” Amélie asks eventually, breaking the silence.

Lena escapes from Amélie’s embrace to sign. “Well, they’ll probably take us in for a interrogation or something.”

Amélie nods. “And then?”

“Depends on what they think of us, love.”

“Not good things, then.” Amélie replies forlornly.

“Hey!” Lena punctuates by turning her lover’s head to face her. “I know it looks bad, but I’m sure everything will work out,” she says, before falling back into Amélie’s arms.

“If you say so  _ mon amour _ .”

The two continued their quiet embrace for nearly another hour before they are disturbed by a knock at Lena’s door.

“Lena? Darlin’, would ya mind opening up?” McCree’s voice drawls through the door.

Amélie tries to hold on to Lena, but the shorter woman pulls away, giving her girlfriend a weak smile before climbing off the bed.

“Lena? I know you’re in-oh there you are!” Lena hears, as she pulls the door open to reveal Jesse McCree in his full get-up on the other side of the doorway. “Howdy darlin’. Wish I were just here to chat, but I’m ‘ere on important business. ‘Fraid I’m supposed to take the, uh, two of ya,” he states as he looks past Lena to the woman residing on Lena’s bed, “up to Winston’s office.”

Lena nods in understanding, not meeting the cowboy’s eyes, turning slightly and holding her hand out to Amélie. Amélie stands, and slowly makes her way to the doorway, taking Lena’s hand in her own as she stares down Jesse. She tries her best to put up a emotionless front, but Lena could feel her hand shaking in fear.

McCree looks the woman up and down, before whistling aloud. “Well, I couldn’t believe my ears  when Winston told me what to expect, and I’m not sure I believe my eyes either. Little Lena Oxton, sneakin’ around like some Blackwatch agent. Who was it who taught you that stuff, Genji? Or was it Gabe, he always thought you’d make a good member.”

Lena wasn’t sure what she was expecting from Jesse, but it’s not this. With her hand firmly in Amélie’s grip, she settles for tilting her head in confusion. Amélie seems to pick up on it, and speaks up. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve never known Lena to have a sneaky bone in her body, and it turns out she has a secret lover? And that her secret lover is one of Talon’s top agents. I am impressed.” Amélie finds it odd that the strange cowboy in front of her is making no question to her presence. Even stranger, he holds his hand out to Lena, and waits until she hesitantly gives him a high five. “Alright girls, we ought to get moseyin’.”

* * *

The walk to Winston’s office is quiet, save for McCree’s whistling the whole way. Lena recognizes it as the the theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

Lena and Amélie hands never left the other’s during their walk of shame , as they pass by empty meeting rooms and lounges. Lena thinks it strange that no-one is around: it may be early morning, but on an Overwatch base that usually means very little.

Amélie’s mind filled with fear of what might happen, and even the warmth of Lena’s hand against her own is doing little to calm her nerves. She decides to observe to the world around her as she’s lead to her interrogation, the way she was trained to. Several escape paths, but she notes that even given his calm demeanor, McCree’s right hand is still lingering around his revolver. She also notes the presence of a pair of restraints attached to the cowboy’s belt. But before she can think about why those cuffs aren’t currently set around her wrists, she feels Lena’s hand tremble and looks ahead.

A large doorway stands at the end of this hallway, and Amélie notices a person in blue armour standing guard beside it.

“Agent McCree,” Fareeha says with authority, giving the man a nod before facing the two standing hand in hand beside him. Her face drops. “McCree, why are the prisoners not restrained?” she says, barely masking her anger.

“I ain’t gonna restrain people who came quietly and don’t resist?” McCree replies earnestly.

Fareeha stifles her ire as best she can, but Lena and Amélie can clearly hear the contempt in her voice. “Agent McCree, this woman,” she states, gesturing at Amélie, “is a wanted assassin who has killed dozens, and this,” she gestures to Lena, “is the woman who harboured her and kept her hidden from us for who-knows how long.”

“‘Reeha, at least give ‘em a chance to defend themselves.” McCree tries to respond.

“So she can kill us?” Fareeha snaps back.

“Excuse me,” Amélie speaks up, drawing the two arguing agents. “If it would make it easier, I would volunteer to be restrained.” Fareeha’s eyes are filled with anger as she opens her mouth to speak, but Amélie stops her. “But may I ask that Lena be allowed free use of her hands.”

“You don’t get to talk.” Fareeha grumbles.

“I understand,” Amélie continues. “I just wish Lena be able to.”

For a brief moment, the anger in Fareeha’s eyes disappears, and she looks over to Lena apologetically. Lena sheepishly smiles at the woman. “Whatever,” she concedes flippantly, “just get in. You’ve got a lot to answer for.”

Fareeha then opens the door to Winston’s lab, and gestures the women in without meeting either of their gazes.

Amélie looks to Lena, who gives her girlfriend a small smile and a nod, and the two walk in hand-in-hand.

Inside, the two are greeted by a large group of people, each watching the pair intently. Winston is standing behind his desk, which has been cleared of its normal clutter. To his his left sits Angela, who gives the pair a little wave, and to his right sits Jack. Despite his visor, Lena can tell his face is screaming disappointment.

On the left side of the room, sitting in a group of chairs pulled from a nearby meeting room, Hana, Reinhardt and Satya are watching with a range of emotion present on their faces: Reinhardt seems utterly astonished and Hana seems almost pouty. Satya is hard to read, but Lena imagines that she must be curious above all else.

Lena hears the door slide shut behind her, where Fareeha and Jesse are each standing guard on either side of the door. She hears Winston clear his throat, then watches as he gestures to the two seats that have been place opposite him. “If you two would sit down.” Lena nods, and leads Amélie over, where the two sit down. Winston follows and sits down in the large tire serving as his own seat.

Lena pulls her hand from Amélie’s, and moves to being signing, but Winston raises a hand to stop them. “Before either of you speak, let me explain what is happening here.” Lena is saddened, hearing her best friend speak in such an impersonal manner; none of the warmth she knows is present. “We are going to ask each of you some questions. You will tell us the truth, leaving nothing out, and then we will decide what is to be done. Is that understood?”

Lena and Amélie both nod.

“Very good. Now then, Lena, how long have you been in a relationship with Widowmaker.”

“Amélie.” Lena signs out.

“Sorry?”

Lena looks to Amélie to explain. “My name. It is Amélie, not Widowmaker.”

The pair hear an exasperated harumph from Fareeha behind them. Winston glances at the soldier, and silently tells her to be quiet. “Very well, how long have you been in a relationship with Amélie?”

“Six months.”

“And how did this relationship start?”

“That a bit of a difficult question to answer…” Lena signs hesitantly.

Suddenly Jack decides to speak up for the first time. “Just answer the damn question, Oxton.”

“Jack,” Winston says sternly, “you will leave this interrogation to me. But I do need you to answer the question Lena.”

“Well, it sorta started when, you know…” Lena replies, giving her lover a look.

“When she lost her voice,” Amélie says, drawing Winston’s attention. “After she got shot I contacted your organization to help her.”

“How romantic,” Jack says sarcastically. “So you shoot her and then decide to feel guilty and help her out.”

“Jack,” Angela says sternly, “you know as well as I do that the shooting didn’t match Widowmaker’s MO. Er, Amélie’s.”

Before the two at his side can begin an argument, Winston puts a stop to their bickering with a decisive “Ahem!” Once he sure the two will stay quiet, he continues. “And how did this lead to a relationship?”

“I visited her while she was recovering,” Amélie states plainly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Winston looks perturbed by this news. “When was this?” he asks, concerned.

“Every day.”

At this, Winston seems manic. “Every day!? How were you not caught by Athena, or the doctors?”

“I was built for stealth. And your AI has some blind spots.”

Winston seems completely bewildered, before releasing a sign and pressing a hand to the bridge of his nose. Lena seems to take this as an opportunity to sign again. “Anyway, that’s how I fell for her.”

“How adorable,” Angela seems to swoon.

“Have you all forgotten who this is?” Fareeha nearly shouts. “Who she’s killed?”

“Finally, someone reasonable,” Jack laments.

“But she’s changed!” Lena signs, first at Fareeha behind her, and then to the three in front of her.

“What do you mean she’s changed?” Winston asks curiously.

“I mean the brainwashing! All those bloody things they put in Amélie’s head! It’s wearing off, she’s remembering things!”

“And how are you so certain of this?” Winston continues.

“Because she saved my life!” Lena gestures frantically.

“And she killed Gérard!” Jack shouts. “And Ana, and Mondatta, and too many others to name!”

Winston stands to his full height suddenly, and glares down at Jack. “That is enough! You will stay quiet, or you will leave!”

Jack tries to contest Winston by staring the gorilla down, but eventually he backs down. The group of agents watch from the side, seemingly stunned at seeing the infallible Jack Morrison surrender to the large gorilla.

“If I may speak,” Angela says quietly after waiting a moment, “I am no expert on matters of the mind, but there is a great deal of evidence that suggests that brainwashing of any kind is limited, and that trying to completely wipe someone’s personality, to try something like that, it would never last.”

Winston considers this a moment as he calms down. “Let us assume then that Widow-Amélie, has regain control of her mind. That the crimes committed were the result of involuntary mind control. That still leaves us with Lena, who has kept her a secret from us. Why did she keep her under our noses?”

At this point, and unexpected voice speaks up. “If I may,” Satya begins, “perhaps Lena believed that not hiding Amélie would be dangerous. Vishkar disposed of people who did not show complete loyalty to them, and I doubt Talon would do less than reprogram or kill Amélie if they found her questioning her programming.”

The entire group seems to consider this for a long time, before Winston speaks quietly. “And it would not be so easy to hand her over to the authorities, knowing Talon has its claws everywhere. Anyone who gets a hold of Amélie could be dirty.”

Lena watches as each person around her seems to consider the information they’ve been given. She reaches out blindly and grabs Amélie’s hand tightly.

“Doctor Ziegler, do you think you would be able to determine whether Amélie is truly free of Talon’s brainwashing?” Winston asks.

“It’s not my speciality, but I can try.” Angela replies.

“Very well. Until we can determine the true nature of the crime of Widowmaker, you two can consider yourself under house arrest.” Winson says with authority, looking at Lena and Amélie. “You will not leave your room without an escort, and you will not be leaving this base under any circumstances. Is that clear?”

Lena can barely hold herself from rushing to hug the gorilla, and settles for a fervent nod and a wide smile. Amélie smiles at her girlfriend. “Oui. That is understood.”

Winston smiles, and bit more of the warmth Lena knows returns. “Good.” He tries not to notice Fareeha storming out of the room, Jesse following as he attempts to calm the soldier. He also pretends he cannot tell Jack is glaring at him from under his visor. “Now, given what I know of Lena, I am guessing you would like to go to the mess hall?”

Lena nods, and Amélie chuckles lightly. “Would the three of you,” Winston asks as he gestures to the three still sitting and watching, “take these two down to the mess hall before Lena eats whatever peanut butter I have left?”

Reinhardt and Satya nod politely, then stand. Hana gets up as well, but glares at Lena.

“I’m am not going to hear the end of this.” Lena thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Lena is going to sign but Winston stops her, she was going to say “Ever get that feeling of deja vu?” I’d like to thank those who responded when I asked about rewriting this. This feels like it better fits the feeling of the rest of the fic, and I’m feeling happier about the direction this takes the fic. Expect more! Though don’t expect regular releases, I’m allergic to those ;)
> 
> Also shout-out to the person who thought they were naked in the original chapter: are you happy now? ;)
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nival_kenival
> 
> Mon amour (french) - my love  
> Oui (french) - yes  
> MO - modus operandi (latin) - method of operation


	7. Amélie serenades her lover

The days at Overwatch HQ are tense. Lena and Amélie are kept in Lena’s room when not in the mess hall, and the time in the mess hall is quiet. Some at the Overwatch HQ offer the pair some semblance of kindness: Hana asks the pair to eat with her and Lucio, though conversation mostly consists of Hana reprimanding Lena. 

“I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me!” she exclaims between fistfulls of Doritos. “I thought we were friends!”

“We are!” Lena tries to defend. “But you know why I…”

“I could have kept your secret!”

Lena gives Hana a stern look, pushing Lucio into chuckling nervously Hana’s tendency for gossip was legendary throughout Overwatch.

“Well, still…” Hana relents. Now Lena silently giggles, and even Amélie calms a bit and grins. “But now we don’t even get to hang out anymore.”

“If I may,” Amélie interjects, startling Hana and Lucio, “Lena can still ‘hang out’ as long as she is supervised.”

Hana sat deep in thought for a moment, before jumping out of her seat. “C’mon Lulu, I have an idea!” she announces, grabbing Lucio and dragging him out, leaving both of their meals and confusing Lena and Amélie.

“Did she forget she was minding us?” Amélie directs to Lena, who merely shrugs.

“Well, that were strange,” came the voice of Jesse McCree, who had snuck up on the pair. “Need a pair of eyes ladies?”

After McCree escorted the couple back to their room, they spent some hours wondering what Hana was up to when there came a knock on the door.

“Lena?” Hana’s voice calls from behind the door. Lena and Amélie exchange a confused look, before Lena rose to get the door. After hitting the button to open the door, Lena is rewarded by a harsh tone from the panel.

“Miss Song,” Amélie says with a small smile, “I do believe you must unlock the door.”

The door opens and an embarrassed looking Hana stands behind it. “Hey Lena.” she says, then looks behind Lena. “Uh, hey, Amélie?” she awkwardly directs at the woman. Lena gives the young woman a wave, and Amélie gives a small nod from her position atop Lena’s bed. “So, me and Lucio decided to set up a hangout for everyone, and we had this plan, and maybe you’d be interested in coming?”

Lena thought it strange that Hana was being uncharacteristically stiff. “What kind of hangout?” she asks.

“Well,” Hana continues, her voice growing quieter, “we had this idea, but now it’s probably not that good, cause it’s kinda insensitive, and I didn’t mean to…”

“Come on Hana, now I’m curious!”

“...Karaoke.”

Lena rattles the idea around in her brain a bit, before she signs. “Can Amé come?”

“Well, I mean, yes, but I’m not sure…”

Hana’s hesitation meant nothing to Lena, who had already run over to Amélie. She didn’t need to sign a word, but Amélie could tell from the puppy dog eyes on the younger woman’s face she desperately wants Amélie to go.

“Lena, are you sure?” Amélie asks. “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable.”

“You can just watch if you want,” Lena reassures her, “but you’re such a great singer!”

Amélie considers this. She hasn’t sung in front of a crowd in some time. Not since before she was taken. But the look on Lena’s face?

“Alright. For you, chérie.”

Lena pumps a fist, then links hands with her girlfriend, helping her off the bed and pulling her to the door, where the bewildered Hana waits.

“Well, alright then,” Hana says. “This way.”

As Amélie follows the youngest member of Overwatch, she has a thought. “I imagine Sombra might enjoy this.”

She makes sure she has her Sombra-given cell phone in her pocket.

* * *

 

Arriving at a large lounge, Lena and Amélie are met by almost the entire continent of Overwatch. Lucio has set up his karaoke machine on a makeshift stage, with couches, chairs and tables all around. Jesse and Reinhardt are sitting at a table, each with a large mug of beer. Winston and Satya are having a conversation that Lena could never hope to understand. And Angela and Fareeha were sat on one of the large couches.

When Angela noticed that Lena and Amélie had come in, she waves the two over.. “Girls, come sit over here!”

Lena and Amé share a look before slowly crossing the room. Everyone in the room watched with varying levels of emotion: McCree and Winston give a weak smile, Satya watches with curiosity, Reinhardt with confusion. Lucio turns back to his equipment, after sneaking a quick glance. And if looks could kill, Fareeha’s would annihilate Amélie.

Angela manages to shove Fareeha aside enough to allow Amélie and Lena to sit. “Could you refill my drink for me Fareeha?” Angela asks, trying to sooth the obvious tension. Fareeha nods, picks up Angela’s glass, and walks over to the mini bar in the far corner of the room.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see either of you here!” Angela happily states.

Amélie glances her head towards the mini bar. “I’m not sure I should be here.”

“She’s having a hard time processing all this.” Angela tries to assuage Amélie’s fears.

“You just have to show her the real you, love!” Lena signs, before the first notes of a song Amélie didn’t recognize.

_ “One morning in June  _ _ some twenty years ago _ _!” _ Reinhardt sang.

“Hasselhoff,” Fareeha states flatly as she returns, passing Angela her drink. “What a surprise old man!” she jokingly shouts, but Reinhardt is too invested to notice.

_ “I've been looking for freedom!” _

Amélie looks around the room, paying close attention to everyone’s face as they watch Reinhardt sing as best he can. “Show her the real you,” she thinks, “I think I know how to do that.”

* * *

 

A few songs, and quite a bit of alcohol, later,the stiff atmosphere fell away. Jesse managed to impress everyone in the room with a rendition of ‘Rebel Rebel’. Winston’s low register lent well to some Sinatra, and Hana sang K-Pop that nobody recognized, but Lena couldn’t help but jump up and dance to it, something which made Amélie smile.

Satya was uncomfortable singing alone, so Hana jumped on stage. Amélie pulled out her phone, knowing that the pair of women singing ‘Shake it Off’ would entertain Sombra. 

 

**1 File(s) attached**

I am entrusting you with this. Do not betray my trust.

OMG

Why are there so many cuties at Overwatch?

…

Are you planning to join in on the singing

…

I’m hacking into the cameras, I gotta see this

 

“Alright, anyone volunteering to go next?” Lucio asks the group as Hana and Satya step down from the stage. Lena feels the couch shift, and Amélie stands up.

Without words, Amélie calmly meets Lucio, and takes the microphone from his outstretched hand.

Stepping onto the stage, Amélie searches through the listing of songs to find a good one. It takes a few moments, but she grins as she finds the right one. She steps away from the screen, and takes a deep breath, slowing her heartbeat against the nerves that were building. But as the notes start, and she looks into her lover’s caring eyes, she knows what’s important to her.

_ “ _ _ Moving forward using all my breath _

_ Making love to you was never second best _

_ I saw the world crashing all around your face  _

_ Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace” _

Lena is enraptured by Am élie’s performance, amazed as always by the tall woman’s voice. She barely even notices Fareeha’s burning gaze fall on her own face, the soldier growing curiouser and curiouser at Lena’s feelings for the blue-skinned woman.

_ “ _ _ I'll stop the world and melt with you!”  _ Amélie finishes. The song fades out, and Amélie’s eyes wander about the rest of the room. Everyone’s eyes are on her, which she expected, but they’re staring.

Amélie’s heart begins to race, before Jesse starts clapping. Satya follows his lead, and soon everyone is applauding the blue-skinned woman. Even Fareeha is clapping, though she doesn’t look Amélie in the eyes as she does so. She smiles, takes a bow and gets off the stage.

“That was awesome Amé!” Lena signs as she greets her girlfriend, before entrapping her in a tight hug.

“Hey, blue.” Fareeha calls from behind her.

Amélie and Lena turn to face Fareeha, who is standing with two microphones, one held out to the former assassin. Amélie glances back and forth between Fareeha’s face and the mic, before grabbing the microphone and following the Egyption back onto the stage. Fareeha browses the song list for a few seconds, before gesturing to Amélie.

“You know this?”

Amélie looks. The machine reads ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard’. “Interesting choice,” she tells Fareeha.

“Good enough,” Fareeha replies, before hitting the play button.

Amélie is taken back as Fareeha breaks into song.

_ “ _ _ Step inside, Walk this way. You and me babe; Hey hey!” _

But Am élie quickly regains her senses, and joins in on her own microphone.

_ “ _ _ Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on!” _

* * *

 

The night progresses. Am élie isn’t challenged into any more duets, nor does she sing alone, but she’s content watching the rest of Overwatch perform. Lena managed to make her way into sitting on Amélie’s lap, and the taller woman was happy to have her there.

Around them, the night was coming to a close: Jesse had passed out trying to outdrink Reinhardt, who was drunk but conscious. Satya, Hana and Winston were still singing, but their level of skill had deteriorated over the course of several hours. Angela and Fareeha were getting flirtier, having sung ‘Take A Chance On Me’ together, though Lena had bet Amélie that they would deny being in a relationship when morning rolled around.

“Alright, last call before I pack this up and go to bed guys?” Lucio asks.

Amélie feels rather than sees Lena waving her arms about, getting Lucio’s attention. Lucio, as well as anyone who was paying attention gave her an odd look.

“Chérie?” Amélie asks as Lucio unsurely hands her lover the microphone. The smaller woman gets up from Amélie’s lap, then turns and offers Amélie her hand. She takes it, still confused, and follows her hand-in-hand up to the stage.

Lena takes no time at all finding the song she wants. Amélie looks at the machine briefly, and begins to understand what Lena wants.

“For you chérie, I shall sing for the both of us.”

Lena smiles, and the song begins. She grasps Amélie’s hand holding the mic, and they move close to begin their duet.

_ “Just a small-town girl!” _

It’s not a duet in the usual sense, with Amélie carrying the actual sound. But Lena mouths the words with enough enthusiasm to make it a duet.

_ “Livin’ in a lonely world!” _

* * *

 

The song fades out, and Amélie and Lena share a look.

“I love you,” Lena signs.

“Je t’aime,” Amélie replies.

Whoops, hollars and whistles start, as everyone conscious gives the pair a standing ovation. Lena and Amélie drink each other in, before turning to look at the crowd. Amélie grabs Lena’s hand.

“Shall we?”

Lena nods, and the pair bow together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Mentioned:  
> Looking for Freedom - David Hasselhoff  
> Rebel Rebel - David Bowie  
> My Way - Frank Sinatra  
> DNA - BTS  
> Shake it Off - Taylor Swift  
> I Melt with You - Modern English  
> Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard  
> Take A Chance On Me - Abba  
> Don’t Stop Believing - Journey  
> Not Seen: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, to be sung by Jack and Gabriel
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nival_kenival


	8. Lena supports her friends

The noise is deafening. Explosions going off, bullets ripping through the air as well as the yelling and screaming associated with the sound of battle. Not that Angela is paying it any mind: she’s long since learned how to tune out the music of war. She is too focused on her job, the one she has been doing for so many years now.

“You are doing very well. Only a little more.” Angela tells the small boy she is patching up: a civilian caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I need healing!” Reinhardt calls, staunchly defending a group of people with his shield, holding steadfast against the titanous wave of enemy resistance. Angela sees McCree behind him, firingupon Talon soldiers that made the mistake of picking a fight with Overwatch. Genji is around somewhere, though Angela cannot hope to keep her eyes on him, moving around as quickly as he can.

“I’m on my way Reinhardt!” Angela replies, finishing up her work on the small boy, before grabbing her Caduceus staff and activating the wings of her valkyrie suit and reuniting with the modern-day knight. “You didn’t think I’d leave you behind, did you?”

“Never, my lady!” Reinhardt laughs. “You are ever our guardian angel!”

“Always a gentleman”

“Unlike these  _ arschgeigen _ !” Reinhardt smirks. With this, he turns back towards the overturned truck being used as cover by the Talon agents, raises his hammer up, and with a great cry…

“ **HAMMER DOWN!** ”

..The last remaining agents of Talon fall back as the earth beneath them shakes under the great weight of Reinhardt’s hammer. Jesse rolls out from behind cover to tie up the agents still surviving. Genji drops down from a perch above, and helps McCree with his task.

“I’m glad we had your shield to protect us!” Angela says with a smile, placing a hand on her friend’s humongous bicep.

“And I am glad we had you…” Reinhardt begins as he turns to face his friend in earnest, before his good eye widens and the words fall from his mouth.

“Reinhardt?” Angela asks, following the large man’s gaze to her own side. She isn’t surprised to find her Valkyrie suit red with blood. But as she looks closer, she finds the vibrant red stain growing in size.

“When did…?” she starts, before her eyes roll back and she falls unconscious.

“Angela!”

* * *

 

It doesn’t take long for news to reach the Watchpoint. She’s alive, and that’s all Lena knows as she waits at the landing pad for the dropship to arrive with the agents who had left for the mission, Angela included.

Off to Lena’s left side, Amélie sits on a nearby bench. When Lena had made clear her plan to wait in the hangar for Angela to arrive, Amélie had insisted on going with her. She told Winston, their escort for the day, that she didn’t want to be seperated from Lena, but Lena knew it went deeper than that: Angela was the first person in Overwatch who gave Amélie a chance, and probably the only person Amélie might call a friend, apart from Sombra.

Amélie cared for Angela, but nothing could compare to the worry emanating from the other woman watching the sky.

Fareeha’s waits, the expression on her face a clear indicator of her feelings. Even if Lena hadn’t long-since figured out just how close Angela and Fareeha were, Fareeha’s bloodshot eyes gave away just how much Fareeha cared for the doctor.

It takes a few tries to try to get the soldier’s attention, but by waving her hand in front of Fareeha’s face, Lena gets her to stop watching the sky for a moment.

“It’ll be alright Fareeha,” Lena signs. Fareeha’s face barely cracks. “Angela is going to be fine, she’s tougher than she looks, it’s probably just a minor injury.”

“This time,” Fareeha quietly mumbles under her breath, her gaze falling to the floor.

Lena considers her friend’s words for a moment, before pushing on Fareeha’s shoulder to draw her attention. “We’d never let anything happen to her. We care too much about her.”

At this, Fareeha allows herself a small smile, and Lena notices that her eyes, still deeply concerned, lightened somewhat. “Thanks Lena.” She quietly speaks. She leans forward, and Lena meets the woman in a hug, her eyes closing for a moment. When she opens them, she can’t help but see the blue-skinned woman on the bench. She wondered whether the reason for her presence truly was due to to a need to be by Lena’s side, or if she too was worried for Angela.

The two seperate, and return to watching the sky until a little dot appears in the distance, growing larger until the roaring engines of the VTOL cut out and the ramp drops down.

* * *

 

The doctor, one from town who was willing to both help Overwatch and keep quiet about their continued existence, exits the door to the recovery room, and is immediately greeted by the trio of Fareeha, Lena and Amélie.

“Is she alright? Is Angie alright?!” Fareeha gets out.

“She’s going to be just fine,” the doctor calmly states. “She’s asleep at the moment, but she’s going to make a full recovery.”

Fareeha lets out a sigh of relief, and Lena seems to visibly calm. Even Amélie’s cold expression relaxes a bit.

“Her nanites were already working on closing the wound, it was a simple matter of ensuring the casing was safely removed and the wound kept clean. The bullet narrowly avoided her major organs, luckily.”

“May we wait with her?” Amélie’s voice interjects.

The doctor looks up at the woman’s voice. He had heard of some strange folk in Overwatch, but this woman’s blue skin was a mystery to him. “Yes, but as I said, she’s asleep, and she won’t wake for…” The doctor’s watches as the darker-skinned woman brushes past him, hurriedly but not roughly, and she immediately makes her way through the double doors to the recovery area of the medical division. The light-skinned follows, and the blue woman follows her briefly, before stopping to pause in front of the doctor. He cannot help but feel nervous at the closeness of the tall and imposing woman, and he tries not to let it show.

But Amélie smiles, warmly. “ _ Merci _ , doctor…?”

“Erm,” the doctor manages. “Hill. Dr. Hill, that is.”

Amélie gives a slight nod. “Thank you, Dr. Hill.” And with that, the last of the three enters the recovery room.

Doctor Hill watches the door for a moment, still entranced by the strange blue woman, before shaking it off, and beginning to walk down the hall. “Operating on  _ the _ Angela Ziegler! What a tale! I can’t wait to tell my husband, he’s going to be so jealous!”

* * *

The room is quiet. Only the sounds of breathing, and the muted sounds outside the window break the silence. Angela lies in a hospital bed covered with bright white sheets, and wearing the cyan-green gown she had been put into.

Lena and Amélie are beside each other and holding hands. Across from them, Fareeha is barely holding herself together, holding Angela’s left hand in her own, and using her right to stroke her angel’s hand sofly. The evening light casts into the room from behind Fareeha through a grand window overlooking the ocean. Hospital rooms like these were few in the base, most being put into a larger shared barracks while recovering. But given that the medical wing of the base was Angela’s baby, she was afforded the luxury of the private room.

Lena steps out for a moment, citing a need of the bathroom, leaving only Amélie and Fareeha.

“You really love her,” Amélie says after a moment of watching Fareeha’s face. The soldier looks up, and greets the former assassin’s gaze. “And do not say that you are mere friends. I know love when I see it. I would not be able to miss yours even if I were blind.”

Fareeha sighs. Perhaps her most well-kept secret was not so well-kept. “I love her.” She says, voice creaking from soreness. “I love her so much. And I could have lost her, just like that.”

“I know the feeling.”

Fareeha’s head tilts, pressing Amélie to elaborate. “There were so many moment I thought I had lost him. So many nights spent by his bedside, praying that he would wake.”

“You remember Gérard?” Fareeha asks, slightly dubious.

“I remember pieces of my past. And of him. I remember loving him, even if I do not understand how. I remember his eyes, and his laugh. And I remember being in the same place you are.”

Fareeha sees tears build in Amélie’s eyes. “After all the times he woke, I worried that the next time I saw him leave would be the last.”

“And in the end, those...bastards used me to do it. Took away everything I had and more. And left me a husk, unable to even remember the one I loved.”

Fareeha processes all this for a minute. This was tearing apart the image in her head of the Widowmaker. “But you know that you love Lena?”

“Of course! She holds my heart in her palm, in her eyes, in her smile. And,  _ mon dieu _ , she wants to return to the field.”

Fareeha gives a little chuckle, drawing Amélie’s eyes back up to meet her’s. “Of course. Where would Lena be if she couldn’t be a hero? But you know you can’t stop her, once she puts her mind to something...”

“I’d never dream to. But I worried so much about him, and now her…”

Tears are falling freely from Amélie’s bloodshot eyes. “When do we stop worrying?”

Fareeha turns to face her beautiful angel.

“I suppose when we stop loving.”

* * *

When Lena returns, she finds Amélie and Fareeha talking. Actually talking. And not about Ana, or Angela or herself, but about nothing in particular. Just, life. Lena smiles, and joins in.

Hours later, a sleeping Angela wakes to find herself in a hospital bed, with her love asleep in chair by her side. “Fareeha?” she quietly speaks, before adjusting her head and find two others in the room, one fast asleep in the others arms. “Lena? Amélie?”

She returns her head and looks down, realizing that her hand is clasped in her love’s. She gives a gentle squeeze, and Fareeha sturs. “Angela?  _ Habibti _ ?”

“Yes,  _ liebling _ .”

Fareeha rushes to hug Angela, tears falling, once again, as she hold her love close to her. “I was so worried about you.”

“It’s alright  _ liebling _ . I’m here.” Angela cooes.

Fareeha moves her head, and presses a messy wet kiss to Angela’s lips, then backs away, to stare at her angel from a breath’s distance away.

“Marry me,” she says, quietly but with authority.

“Wha..?” Angela sputters.

“Marry me,” Fareeha repeats. “We live such dangerous lives my love, and I cannot dare to live knowing that something might happen to us and I didn’t ask.” She’s smiling wider than she has in years. “Will you make me the happiest woman in the world?”

Angela smiles drunkenly. “Only if you’ll return the favour, my love”

Fareeha begins to laugh, and the two share another kiss. When they break apart, they hear a small shuffle from the other side of the bed, where Amélie and Lena haven’t woken.

“Should we tell them?” Fareeha asks playfully.

“In the morning,” Angela replies. “We could both use some sleep, and I want to spend the moment with you.”

Angela shifts slightly, patting the bed beside her. Fareeha obliges, crawling under the thin sheet with her.

“Besides, if we tell Lena, she won’t rest for days. Can you imagine wedding planner Lena?”

“She’ll be your maid of honour then?”

“She’d never look at me again if she couldn’t be!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhg.  
> So, summer was fun. After years of waiting, I was able to have my gender affirmation (or reassignment) surgery. Which was great! But it kinda drained me of all my energy. After that I had to work my butt off to have enough money to survive the school year. I’ve been staring at a blank page since I finished the last chapter, and I couldn’t find the time and energy to complete this one.  
> Until now. Now that I’m fully back to my regular routine, I hope to work on some more fic stuff. I have some rough ideas for one-shot stuff, and of course my ongoing series. Hopefully with more regularity.  
> For those who waited, thank you for you patience!
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d nival_kenival  
>   
> Arschgeigen (german) - assholes  
> Merci (french) - thank you


	9. Amélie meets the family

More and more, Amélie finds herself falling into a routine at Overwatch: Wake up with Lena in her arms; meet Lena’s friends in the mess hall; return Morrison’s glare; talk with Angela about her condition; spend some time in the workout room, sometimes with Fareeha or Hana; eat some dinner with Lena; and finally fall asleep with her.

“Well,” Amélie thinks with a smirk, “and sometimes spend some  _ quality time _ with my lover.”

Still, things have become more predictable for Amélie, and in the former assassin’s eyes, that was not a good sign.

When Winston greets the pair with a worried smile outside of the doors to the mess hall, Amélie is immediately suspicious. They had, just a few weeks ago, finally been cleared to walk around the Gibraltar headquarters without constant supervision, so they had seen less of the scientist around.

“Morning Winston!” Lena signs with a smile. “How’s it hanging?”

“Good morning Lena.” Not even acknowledging Lena’s joke? This was odd, but Lena was apparently oblivious. “I wanted to speak to you about something.”

“What is is?”

“Well, you see, we seem to have picked up a new recruit…”

“Picked up? What do you mean?”

“Er, last night Jack apparently was contacted by a member of Talon, who was interested in, jumping ship, as it were.”

“And Morrison said yes?” Amélie asks dryly. “After the hassle he gave us?”

“Yes, apparently she had some, er, indispensable information she was willing to exchange for immunity.” Winston replies, his normal lack of social confidence elevated.

“Maybe Sombra finally decided to join us!?” Lena happily signs to Amélie, before moving to push open the doors to the mess hall.

Amélie was going to mention that she didn’t think Sombra was the type to fight for the greater good, when she saw the back-side of a woman she didn’t think she’d see again. “ _ Chérie _ ?”

But Lena was already tapping the tall redhead’s shoulder, and Lena’s expression dropped as the ‘new recruit’ turned to face her.

“Moira?” Lena mouthed, because she barely understood what she was looking at.

“Lena?” Moira returns softly, a tear springing to her red eye.

“O’Deorain?” Amélie asks, approaching Lena.

“LaCroix?” Moira inquires.

“D. Va!” Hana interjects, earning a glance from everyone. “Sorry, I thought we were… nevermind.”

“What are you doing here O’Deorain?”

Finally Lena shakes herself out of her stupor somewhat. “You know her?”

“You know her?” Amélie replies.

“Of course my own daughter would know me,” Moira adds as though it were completely obvious.

“Your what!?” Amélie explodes.

“ _ A stór, _ Lena, I thought…” Moira trails off, choosing to quickly wrap her arms tightly around the time traveller. 

Lena relaxes slightly, but shakes herself free. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing?” Moira asks, after watching Lena move her arms about.

Lena gestures at her throat and shakes her head.

Moira sneers. “The best doctors in the world, and they cannot cure a simple sore throat.” But then she notices the large scar running down Lena’s neck. “What is that?” Moira looks at Winston, who had crept his way up to watch the situation unfold. “What has happened to my daughter?!”

“Ms O’Deorain…”

“Doctor.”

“...Doctor O’Deorain, a lot has happened that I haven’t had time to explain.”

“Well you’d better start explaining!”

“Some months ago, Lena was involved in an accident, wherein a Talon sniper shot Lena’s throat. Ang...Doctor Ziegler did her best, but due to their delicate nature, we were unable to repair her vocal chords.”

Moira considers this, and then it clicks. “My… when I stopped hearing reports of Lena being in the field, I thought…” Tears are flowing from Moira’s eyes. 

Lena signs, and Moira looks expectantly to Winston. “Oh, right. Lena’s asking about those reports. I must admit, I’m also curious. Why would a scientist under Talon’s employ be receiving reports about Overwatch agents?” 

Even with tears running down her cheeks, Moira manages to look unimpressed. “Why wouldn’t I care about my daughter’s wellbeing?”

Amélie speaks up. “Not enough to care when you suspect she’s dead.”

Moira gives Amélie a look that would kill most, but Amélie repays it in kind. “You know nothing LaCroix. You have no right to criticise me.”

“I do when it concerns my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Moira asks incredulously. “How?”

“I suppose your work was sub-par, wasn’t it?” Amélie puffs out her chest, standing tall.

Moira seems to look apologetic, if only for a moment. “LaCroix, I’m sorry for what I did to you, but…”

“But what, O’Deorain?!”

“I did what I had to do!”

“Like join Talon?!”

“You don’t understand anything!”

“Uh, guys?” Hana interrupts, trying not to crumple at the two womens’ powerful gazes. “Lena ran off.”

Looking around, the pair are concerned when they find no sight of the woman who connects them both.

“This your fault O’Deorain!” Amélie states, before she turns, determined to find her lover. She’s not sure whether she expects another snarky response, or perhaps just silence, but neither is what she hears.

“You’re right.”

Amélie stops in her tracks, moments away from pushing open the doors out of the mess hall. She turns, and everyone in the room has their eyes on the geneticist. “ _ Quoi? _ ”

Moira’s eyes are directed at the ground as she speaks, uncharacteristically delicately. “I was blinded by fear, and I made a rash decision. But I did it with good intentions, you must believe me.”

Amélie waits for Moira to go on.

“I don’t care what any of you think about me: I already know what you do. But make no mistake; Lena is the only person in this world I care for, and she deserves to know the truth.” She looks to Winston. “Tell me where she is, and I will explain it to her.”

“I don’t know if now is…” Winston begins.

“I will show you.”

Suddenly all eyes are back on Amélie. Including a mismatched pair of red and blue eyes. “Why?”

“Because Lena took a chance on me. So I’ll take a chance on you.”

Moira is speechless, considering how to respond to this. Eventually, she settles on a smile, a sight few can claim they have seen. “Thank you.”

* * *

 

Moira stands in front one of several doors in the hallway. But know what, or rather who, lies behind it, makes her freeze up. What can she say, after so long.

But if LaCroix… Amélie was willing to give her this chance, then she knows she must take it. Inhaling deeply, Moira knocks twice on the door.

“Lena?  _ A leanbh _ ?”

Nothing.

“It’s been so long,  _ a leanbh _ , could you come talk to your mother?”

Silence. Moira sighs.

“I know you probably hate me, but give me a chance to explain myself.”

“...please?”

Finally, the door slides open, and Lena stands before Moira. Before Moira can say a word, Lena holds out a finger, silencing her mother. In the back of her mind, Lena finds it funny; Moira would never back down this easily when Lena was a child. Maybe when Moira first adopted a young Lena, but she was a stern parent once she knew Lena wouldn’t run away. Lena brings her hand back, and writes a message onto a notepad that Lena kept for scenarios such as these.

“Why join Talon?”

Moira nods. “It’s a long story, do you mind if I come in?”

Lena nods and allows Moira into her room. Lena moves to sit at the edge of her bed, and after watching the tall woman stand awkwardly for a few moments, shifts over to allow Moira to sit beside her. Moira quietly thanks her, and sits beside her daughter. Lena gestures for Moira to begin.

“It was in my Blackwatch days, not long after the London event…”

* * *

In a laboratory on the Isle of Wight, a woman with bright red hair in a lab coat is mixing vials of strange liquid, carefully testing samples and recording results, and eagerly watching the clock.

It’s had been sometime since Moira had last seen her daughter in person: each of them had busy schedules, Lena working missions for Overwatch, and Moira working as Blackwatch’s head of research and development. They both loved their jobs, but it did leave little time to spend with the one family member each of them had.

“Well, for now,” Moira thinks: with this upcoming holiday together, Lena had told her mother she wanted to introduce her to a girl she had been going out with. Lena was apparently smitten, but whoever this Emily was, they would have to work hard to join their little family.

“Scott, that had better be good news you’re bringing me about the latest batch,” Moira says without looking when she heard the lab door open and footsteps step in. “I do not need Reyes to call me during my vacation because he couldn’t control the mist form and was sucked into a vacuum cleaner.”

“Interesting information to learn, but that’s not why I’ve come.” A deep, booming voice sounded from behind Moira, one she didn’t recognize.

Turning to face the newcomer, Moira instantly recognizes the face, and the fist, of a major Talon operative. “Doomfist.”

“Moira O’Deorain,” he returns with a voice that demands respect. “I’ve been watching you since the so-called Venice incident, and I must say, I am impressed.”

“And? I’m no idiot, what is it you want.”

“You.”

“Never.”

“Even in Blackwatch’s pay, you still can’t do everything you want. Talon could offer you freedom from the rules.”

“Tempting,” Moira pretends to ponder, reaching for her gauntlet. “But I’ll have to decline.”

Doomfist doesn’t even flinch when Moira points her Biotic Grasp at him.

“Such a shame about Lena.”

Moira stops in her tracks, ready to engage the devices attack. “What?”

“Of course, the Slipstream accident was a tragedy, but isn’t it more tragic that she should die only weeks after recovering and becoming an agent of Overwatch?” With this, Doomfist holds out a photo towards Moira: one of her daughter, in full Overwatch gear, taken by a security camera during the recent Null Sector uprising in London.

“There are Talon assassins already in position to exterminate her: she’s a potential threat to our organization. All I need do is make one call, and Cadet Oxton will be kept out of their sights.”

Moira’s eyes dart between the photo and the man’s face. “I help you, and Lena stays safe?”

Doomfist nods.

“Deal.”

When Overwatch finally finds out about the Talon infiltration, all that’s left of the lab are several dead lab assistants, missing equipment, and one missing scientist. Lena never gets the chance to show off her new girlfriend.

* * *

“And that’s how it went for years. Everytime I’d step out of line, Doomfist would use you against me. He had me create LaCroix, amongst other things.”

Moira looks to her daughter, who seems to be considering what she’s said. Eventually, she writes a message: “What made you decide to escape?”

“I thought…I thought you had died,” Moira barely manages. “Once Doomfist could no longer lord his threats over me, I snuck my way out. Slowly. Cut off ties where I could.”

“And, Amélie?”

“What about her?”

“Do you regret it?”

Moira thinks on this for a few seconds, considering her words. “I have done many monstrous things in my past in the name of science. But, the Widowmaker project was the worst. Hurting an innocent to attack an enemy? A terrible plan born of a petty person.”

Lena thinks for a while longer.

“I think you did the wrong things for the right reasons.”

“I’m told that’s what I do frequently.”

“So I think I can start to forgive you.”

“Lena…” Moira begins to cry again.

“Mum,” Lena signs, though Moira doesn’t yet understand it.

The two share a hug filled with sobs, Moira’s loud and Lena’s quiet. Both letting out the emotions that had built up over the years of not seeing each other.

“I’d do anything for you, my child.”

The two release, and each wipes tears from their eyes. “So, Amélie?”

“What about her?” Lena writes.

“How’d you two happen?”

Lena blushes a bit, then snickers as she writes her next message, telling her mother how she’d met her lover by shooting at her and getting shot at.

Moira wraps an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “If you think that’s good, I should tell you how I met my first girlfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this might seem a bit out there to some. The idea of Moira being Lena’s mother wasn’t one I was aware I loved until I read solarbird & bzarcher’s “Of Gods and Monsters” series. After reading the interactions between the two in that fic, I knew I had to steal/borrow/adapt the idea to my own.
> 
> Go check out their series, it’s got some cute Emily/Tracer/Widowmaker moments. Just know that it starts out fucked up, and gets better but not in the way you think it will.
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nival_kenival
> 
> A stór (Irish Gaelic) - my treasure  
> A leanbh (Irish Gaelic) - my child  
> Quoi (French) - what


End file.
